Library 

OF  THE 

University  of  NortH  Carolin 

THE  LINDSAY  PATTERSON 
COLLECTION 

Given  as  a  memorial  by  his  wife 


Some  Results  of  iEtaaum 
Work  in  the  Mountains 
of  North  Carolina 


By  REV*  R.  P.  SMITH,  Superintendent  of 
Home  Missions  in  Asheville  Presbytery  <£J> 

"  Far  from  the  madding  crowd's  ignoble  strife, 
Their  sober  wishes  never  learn'd  to  stray  : 
Along  the  cool  sequester'd  vale  of  life 

They  kept  the  noiseless  tenour  of  their  way." 


TYPICAL  HOME  OF  THE  REMOTE  COVES 


Introductory  Note 


Rev.  R.  P.  Smith,  the  writer  of  this  sketch,  has  been  the  Sup- 
erintendent of  the  Home  Mission  work  of  Asheville  Presbytery 
since  the  organization  of  that  body,  eight  years  ago.  He  was 
called  to  this  work  because  of  his  peculiar  fitness  for  it.  From 
his  boyhood  he  has  known  and  loved  the  people  of  the  mountains, 
and  a  large  portion  of  his  life  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel  has  been 
spent  among  them. 

For  the  last  eight  years  he  has  given  his  whole  time  to  mission 
work  in  the  mountains  of  Western  North  Carolina,  traveling  from 
place  to  place  in  conveyances  of  various  sorts,  on  horseback  or 
mule-back,  with  or  without  saddle,  and  frequently  on  foot.  He 
has  preached  the  gospel  to  the  people  in  churches>  school-houses 
and  groves,  by  the  wayside,  and  from  house  to  house. 

He  has  drawn  plans  and  purchased  the  materials  for  our  build- 
ings, superintended  their  erection,  and  equipped  them  with  furni- 
ture, and  all  this  without  embarrassing  or  jeopardizing  the  work 
with  debt.  He  has  organized  churches  and  schools,  and  found 
suitable  pastors  and  teachers  to  take  charge  of  them. 

He  has  been  "all  things  to  all  men"  and  almost  "all  men  to  all 
things." 

In  this  little  pamphlet  he  "speaks  that  he  knows  and  testifies 
that  he  has  seen,"  and  what  he  has  written  may  be  received  by 
all  who  read  it  as  an  intelligent,  truthful,  and  sympathetic  account 
of  the  conditions  found  in  large  parts  of  this  mountain  country, 
and  of  the  earnest  and  successful  efforts  that  have  been  made,  with 
meagre  resources,  to  better  these  conditions. 

R.   F.  CAMPBELL, 

Chairman  of  Home  Mission  Committee  of  the  Asheville 
Presbytery. 

Asheville,  N.  C,  Jan.  2,  1905. 


Some  Results  of  Mission  Work  in  the 
Mountains  of  North  Carolina 


THE  CONDITIONS. 

The  writer  will  now  endeavor  to  comply  with  the  numer- 
ous requests  that  have  come  asking  him  to  publish  an  ar- 
ticle on  the  Home  Mission  work  in  this  part  of  our  state. 

In  the  past  few  years  much  has  been  written  about  the 
destitution  found  among"  the  mountaineers  of  North  Caro- 
lina. Many  of  the  articles  which  have  appeared  in  papers 
and  magazines  are  timely  and  wise,  while  some  of  them 
are  otherwise.  Some  writers  have  not  discriminated  be- 
tween the  cultured  population  of  the  valley  sections  and  the 
illiterate  classes  that  dwell  in  the  remote  coves  and  on  the 
rugged  mountain  slopes.  The  demagogue  politician  and 
the  self-important  character  of  strong  sectarian  bias  have 
used  these  unwise  articles  for  strengthening  the  prejudices 
and  inflaming  the  passions  of  the  unlettered.  In  this  way 
truth  has  been  obscured  for  a  time  and  the  strong  arm  of 
philanthropy  has  been  weakened. 

After  years  of  thorough  investigation  and  close  personal 
experience  with  all  classes  and  conditions  of  those  who 
dwell  in  this  region,  the  writer  must  acknowledge  that  he 
has  found  much  destitution  in  the  remote  districts ;  yes, 
more  than  most  of  us  are  willing  to  admit.  In  some  re- 
spects we  have  been  too  sensitive  on  this  subject,  and  have 
tried  to  mollify  our  sore  by  saying:  "  Other  places  are  just 
as  bad."  We  do  not  know  so  much  about  the  conditions 
in  other  places ;  we  certainly  know  that  ours  are  alarming. 
Let  the  following  facts  speak  for  themselves : 

(i)  In  a  certain  mountain  county  there  are  7,988  white 
children  of  school  age,  only  4,715  of  these  have  been  en- 
rolled, leaving  3,273  that  have  never  attended  school.  If 


all  these  children  would  attend  there  are  not  enough  school 
houses  by  fifteen  to  twenty  to  accommodate  them. 

(2)  In  another  county  31  white  voters  of  every  100  can 
not  read  and  write.  The  census  taker  found  1,852  children 
of  school  age  that  have  never  attended  any  school. 

(3)  Many  children  are  kept  from  school  because  their 
parents  are  not  able  to  purchase  the  necessary  books,  some- 
times not  costing  more  than  ten  to  fifty  cents.  This  may 
seem  incredible,  but  it  is  a  true  statement,  for  numbers  of 
families  in  these  remote  districts  do  not  handle  as  much 
as  ten  dollars  in  cash  during  an  entire  year.  What  they 
can  not  make  at  home  they  get  by  barter. 

(4)  We  have  visited  many  homes  in  which  none  of  the 
inmates  could  read,  and  the  Bible  was  not  there  because 
they  could  not  read. 

(5)  Many  of  the  public  schools  in  the  most  remote  dis- 
tricts are  of  little  force  due  in  a  great  measure  to  incompe- 
tent teachers,  worthless,  uncomfortable  buildings,  and  short 
sessions  of  two  to  four  months. 

(6)  Many  of  the  cabins  have  only  one  room,  in  size 
about  16x18  feet ;  and  it  is  used  as  kitchen,  parlor,  bed  room, 
store  room,  etc.  In  such  homes  large  families  are  reared ; 
frequently  we  have  seen  from  six  to  ten  children  in  them. 

(7)  The  women  have  to  endure  many  hardships ;  they 
do  the  cooking,  the  washing,  make  the  clothing,  and  then 
share  equally  with  the  men  the  work  in  the  fields,  making 
and  gathering  the  crops. 

(8)  The  scores  of  children  born  out  of  wedlock,  the  long 
dockets  at  our  criminal  courts,  and  the  clank  of  the  con- 
vict's chain  testify  in  undeniable  terms  against  us. 

It  is  an  unpleasant  duty  for  me  to  record  these  facts ;  it 
is  done,  however,  through  sympathy  for  a  people  that  have 
been  long  neglected.  It  has  been  well  said :  "  They  never 
had  a  fair  chance."  Entrenched  here  for  generations  and 
far  removed  from  the  thoroughfares  of  a  progressive  world, 
the  wonder  is  that  they  have  done  so  well. 


4 


5 


ENCOURAGEMENTS. 


The  mountaineers  still  maintain  many  noble  traits  of 
character  bestowed  on  them  by  a  noble  ancestry.  Inde- 
pendence is  a  marked  characteristic. 

Recently  a  man  died,  leaving  a  wife  and  five  children,  all 
girls,  the  oldest  being  twelve  years  of  age.  They  had  a 
little  cabin  on  a  small  farm  and  there  I  found  them  strug- 
gling to  keep  the  wolf  from  the  door.  While  the  mother 
remained  in  the  house  plying  the  needle  and  caring  for  the 
two  younger  children  the  older  ones  were  in  the  field  pre- 
paring the  land  for  a  crop ;  the  oldest  did  the  plowing.  Not 
a  murmuring  word  was  heard  as  the  struggle  went  bravely 
on,  but  an  air  of  independence,  which  pervaded  house  and 
field,  was  an  inspiration  to  the  weary  traveler.  Reader,  who 
would  not  feel  like  lending  a  helping  hand  to  heroines  like 
these  ? 

It  is  very  evident  to  all  who  have  had  experience  with 
this  people  that  they  are  endowed  with  strong  intellectual 
powers.  Often  our  teachers  express  great  astonishment  at 
the  brightness  of  the  children's  minds.  They  readily  un- 
dertake tasks  which  other  children  regard  as  very  difficult. 
It  is  not  an  unusual  thing  for  the  younger  members  of  the 
Sabbath  schools  to  memorize  a  whole  chapter  of  one  of  the 
Gospels  for  a  recitation ;  and  many  of  them  master  our 
Shorter  Catechism  within  two  to  four  weeks. 

"  If  any  man  doubts  the  sharp  intellectuality  of  the 
mountaineer,  let  him  exercise  his  wits  in  trading  with  him, 
and  he  will  come  in  contact  with  more  shrewdness  and  pen- 
etration than  he  cares  to  combat." 

Perhaps  the  most  encouraging  feature  of  the  work  is  the 
eagerness  manifested  by  most  of  the  people  for  bettering 
their  conditions.  Concrete  cases  narrated  would  rival  in  in- 
terest many  of  our  historical  novels. 

Some  time  since  it  was  my  privilege  to  spend  a  night 
with  the  leading  character  in  one  of  the  far-off  mountain 
coves.  He  wrote  the  letters,  read  the  papers,  advised  in 
matters  of  law,  expounded  the  scriptures,  etc.,  for  the  com- 
munity.   In  the  course  of  conversation  he  said :    "Mr.,  yon 


6 


seem  to  be  a  knowing  sort  of  man  and  I  want  you  to  ex- 
plain a  certain  verse  in  the  Bible  for  me  if  you  can.  I  was 
reading  the  Bible  to  my  neighbors  the  other  day  when  I 
struck  a  verse  that  got  me.  It  says :  '  No  man  putteth  new 
wine  into  old  bottles ;  else  the  new  wine  will  burst  the  bot- 
tles, and  the  wine  be  spilled,  and  the  bottles  shall  perish ; 
but  new  wine  must  be  put  into  new  bottles.'  One  of  the 
men  said,  '  There  is  something  wrong  about  that ;  the  old 
bottles  at  my  house  have  been  tried,  and  they  will  hold  wine 
as  well  as  any  of  your  new  ones.'  I  said,  '  Boys,  the  Bible 
is  right,  but  I  can't  explain  it."  Then  I  told  him  that  the 
bottles  referred  to  in  that  passage  were  made  of  animal 
skins  and  not  of  glass.  With  a  look  of  astonishment  and 
much  doubt  he  said :  "  Mr.,  where  did  you  learn  that,  and 
how  did  you  get  it?"  I  explained  how  we  get  much  inform- 
ation about  the  scriptures  from  studying  the  manners  and 
customs  of  the  people  in  Bible  lands,  and  asked  him  if  he 
had  a  Bible  dictionary  ;  he  said  that  he  had  never  heard  of 
such  a  thing.  I  gave  him  one  and  showed  him  how  to  use 
it.  An  expression  of  great  delight  was  on  his  face  when 
he  said,  "  Thank  you,  I'll  be  ready  for  the  boys  now." 
Sabbath  after  Sabbath  he  has  explained  in  his  own  simple 
way  the  Word  of  Life  to  those  who  can  not  read.  This 
might  be  called  a  Mountain  Theological  Seminary,  if  you 
please,  and  its  library  cost  $1.25. 


SHORT  SKETCHES  OF  SOME  MISSION  FIELDS. 

I. 

Seven  years  ago  we  entered  Graham  county  to  study  the 
conditions  there.  But  little  investigation  was  made  before 
we  discovered  the  paramount  need,  viz. :  school  privileges. 

The  few  public  schools  were  sadly  deficient,  lacking  in 
suitable  buildings  and  competent  teachers ;  the  click  of  a 


7 


ROBBINSVILLE  ACADEMY 
(church  and  school  building) 
Robbinsville,  N.  C. 


printing  press  had  never  been  heard  in  its  borders ;  apathy, 
like  a  gloomy  cloud,  had  settled  over  most  of  the  homes. 
The  best  of  the  people  eagerly  grasped  the  first  opportunity 
that  was  presented  for  establishing  a  good  school  in  their 
midst.  The  next  year,  under  the  leadership  of  a  godly  cul- 
tured woman,  a  school  was  organized  at  Robbinsville,  the 
county  seat,  and  a  neat  comfortable  building  was  erected; 
one  room  being  used  for  the  school,  the  other  for  church 
services.  The  school  has  grown  steadily  year  by  year,  and 
two  more  rooms  have  been  added  to  accommodate  the  in- 
creasing patronage.  The  enrollment  of  students  has  reach- 
ed 350,  three  teachers  are  actively  engaged,  a  library  of  600 
volumes  has  been  installed,  a  church  and  a  Sabbath  school 
organized,  and  a  pastor  employed. 

The  people  of  the  community  have  helped  liberally  with 
this  enterprise  and  refer  to  this  school  as  the  greatest  influ- 
ence for  good  that  has  ever  been  established  in  that  county. 


II. 

A  few  years  since  a  visit  made  in  the  northern  part  of 
Haywood  county  revealed  the  fact  that  there  had  not  been 
a  school  of  any  kind  taught  within  the  bounds  of  a  certain 
school  district  for  two  years.  They  did  not  have  a  school 
house,  so  the  school  committee-men  during  this  time  had 
been  saving  the  pittance  allotted  from  the  public  fund  that 
they  might  use  it  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  building.  In 
the  meantime  scores  of  children  were  growing  up  without 
any  educational  advantages.  Many  of  the  best  citizens  in 
that  section  pleaded  earnestly  with  us  to  give  them  aid. 
Some  benevolent  persons  became  interested  in  their  case, 
and  soon  a  nice  little  building  for  school  and  church  pur- 
poses was  erected,  bearing  the  name,  Snyder  Memorial 
Academy.  Later  a  teachers'  home  was  built,  an  efficient 
consecrated  man  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  work,  295  pu- 
pils have  been  enrolled,  several  young  persons  have  been 
stimulated  to  seek  a  college  education,  a  nice  library  estab- 


9 


i 


THE  SNYDER  MEMORIAL  ACADEMY 
Palm,  N.  C. 


lished,  and  the  entire  community  is  enjoying  a  great  uplift 
in  all  matters  that  tend  to  make  life  happier  and  better. 


III. 

In  November,  1897,  mission  work  was  commenced  for 
the  first  time  by  our  church  on  the  head  waters  of  Big  Ivy 
Creek,  in  the  Black  Mountains.  The  needs  were  great  and 
the  difficulties  that  faced  us  towered  in  gigantic  proportions 
like  the  rugged  peaks  of  Mt.  [Mitchell,  which  have  furnished 
a  refuge  for  moonshiners  and  other  lawless  characters  lo 
these  many  years.  Our  entering  that  locality  seemed  to 
arouse  all  the  evil  spirits  and  a  fierce  contest  was  soon 
waging.  Never  did  workers  (preacher  and  teachers)  labor 
more  heroically  than  those  on  Big  Ivy.  The  story  written 
in  full  would  give  a  picture  so  thrilling  that  it  would  tax 
the  powers  of  the  most  credulous. 

The  good  results  have  surpassed  the  hopes  of  even  the 
most  sanguine.  Two  churches  have  been  organized,  and 
the  membership  now  numbers  150  souls;  two  good  paro- 
chial schools  have  been  established;  two  nice  church  build- 
ings (with  a  school  room  attached  to  each)  and  a  comfort- 
able manse  have  been  erected,  the  aggregate  cost  being  $2,- 
500;  intemperance  has  been  checked;  and  respect  for  law 
has  been  inculcated. 

Recently  an  ex-moonshiner  told  me  that  our  workers  out  | 
there  had  done  more  to  benefit  that  section  than  all  the  laws  j 
of  North  Carolina  had  ever  done. 

IV. 

While  traveling  in  these  remote  districts  often  has  my 
heart  been  moved  in  deepest  sympathy  for  homeless  orphan 
children,  and  for  poor  abandoned  children  whose  condition 
is  worse  perhaps  than  that  of  the  orphan.  The  writer  found 
a  homeless  little  boy  who  had  been  spending  his  nights  in 
a  stable  using  a  bunch  of  hay  for  a  bed ;  also,  a  little  girl 


11 


THE  COVENANTERS 
(church  and  school  building) 
Dillingham,  N.  C. 
(in  the  black  mountains) 


12 


JENNIE   SPEAR  MEMORIAL 
(church  and  school  building) 
Barnardsville,  N.  C. 
(in  the  black  mountains) 


whose  bed  was  a  pile  of  straw  where  a  vagabond  mother 
had  placed  her.  But  let  us  draw  a  veil  over  this  unpleasant 
picture.  Effort  after  effort  was  made  to  secure  places  for 
these  unfortunate  ones  in  some  of  the  orphanages  of  the 
state,  but  each  time  we  failed ;  satisfactory  reasons  were 
given  why  they  could  not  be  admitted.  Occasionally  we 
succeeded  in  placing  some  of  these  children  in  good  Chris- 
tian homes,  immediately  a  dozen  more  would  make  piteous 
appeals  for  like  help.  We  could  not  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  these 
cries.  Through  the  aid  of  some  kind  friends  we  established 
a  Home  at  Crabtree,  in  Haywood  County,  and  it  has  been 
placed  under  the  care  and  control  of  Asheville  Presbytery. 
Many  thought  this  a  hazardous  undertaking  for  the  only 
definite  pledges  of  help  that  we  had  came  from  two  Ladies' 
Societies,  which  promised  $10  each  per  month.  These 
amounts  enabled  us  to  secure  the  services  of  two  noble 
Christian  women ;  one  does  the  teaching,  the  other  acts  as 
housekeeper. 

The  Home  was  opened  January  19th,  1904,  and  since 
that  time  we  have  admitted  and  cared  for  20  children.  Thus 
far  their  support  has  come  from  individuals  making  volun- 
tary gifts,  and  we  have  closed  each  month  without  any 
debts. 

In  connection  with  the  orphanage  a  day  school  is  con- 
ducted for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  children  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  65  have  been  enrolled. 

The  work  has  only  commenced.  Scores  of  these  poor 
children  are  appealing  to  us  constantly  for  a  home.  Shall 
we  reach  out  a  helping  hand  and  save  them,  or  shall  we  let 
them  drift  away  to  swell  the  ranks  of  the  criminal  classes 
which  bring  shame  and  disgrace  on  our  civilization  ? 


Recently  work  was  commenced  at  Canton,  a  beautiful 
little  village  in  the  Pigeon  River  valley.  A  neat,  modern 
school  building  has  been  erected ;  it  and  the  equipments 


V. 


/ 


THE   ORPHANS'  HOME 
Crabtree,  N.  C. 


*5 


have  cost  $2,000.  The  more  prosperous  citizens  of  that 
community  seeing  the  great  need  for  a  school  of  this  kind 
have  contributed  liberally  of  their  means  to  help  the  enter- 
prise. 

The  Primary  Department  of  the  school  was  opened  last 
September,  and  already  60  pupils  have  been  enrolled  ;  the 
higher  departments  will  be  opened  within  a  few  weeks.  It 
is  our  aim  to  make  this  a  high  school,  giving  a  cheap  rate 
of  tuition,  where  boys  and  girls  in  this  part  of  the  state 
can  prepare  for  college,  and  where  numbers  of  our  young 
people  can  be  thoroughly  equipped  for  teaching  the  public 
schools. 

The  pressing  need  of  this  work  at  present  is  a  suitable 
building  for  a  boarding  department. 

Numbers  of  other  communities  are  begging  us  to  give 
them  the  privileges  of  the  Gospel.  With  deep  regret  we 
have  been  compelled  to  say  "no"  to  most  of  the  appeals  made 
recently,  because  we  have  not  the  means  to  employ  more 
workers.  How  long  must  we  behold  the  needs  and  not  be 
able  to  help? 


BRIEF    SUMMARY    OF   WORK  ACCOMPLISHED. 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  what  has  been  accom- 
plished during  the  past  eight  years  in  eleven  of  our  moun- 
tain counties : 

(1)  Seventeen  buildings,  at  an  average  cost  of  $750, 
have  been  erected,  and  all  of  them  are  free  from  debt. 

(2)  Six  parochial  schools  have  been  established  and 
maintained  with  good  results. 

(3)  Six  churches  have  been  organized,  and  twenty  mis- 
sion points  established. 

(4)  Our  church  membership  has  increased  58  per  cent. 

(5)  The  contributions  of  the  churches  to  pastors'  salar- 
ies and  benevolent  causes  have  increased  300  per  cent. 


17 


i8 


(6)  Twenty-four  additional  Sabbath  schools  have  been 
organized  in  which  1,500  children  and  young  people  have 
been  reached  with  religious  instruction. 

(7)  Several  small  churches  have  developed  into  self- 
supporting  groups  ;  and  others  are  making  rapid  strides  in 
that  direction. 

(8)  Many  Bibles  and  other  religious  books  have  been 
distributed,  giving  information,  cheer  and  comfort  to  num- 
bers of  families. 

(9)  A  Home  has  been  established  to  care  for  poor  aban- 
doned children  and  for  orphans. 

The  above  summary  represents  much  labor,  endurance, 
thought,  anxiety,  and  self-sacrifice.  The  teachers  and 
preachers  who  are  doing  this  work  are  worthy  of  double 
honor;  truly,  they  are  "  Enduring  hardness  as  good  soldiers 
of  Jesus  Christ."  Reader,  we  must  not  let  you  enter  the 
inner  circle  where  we  have  seen  these  noble  characters  bear- 
ing patiently  so  many  hardships  ;  God  knows  all  and  that  is 
enough. 

"THE  DOOR  OF  HOPE." 

To  elevate  these  people  of  pure  Anglo-Saxon  blood  and 
make  them  a  useful  factor  in  church  and  state  is  a  matter 
worthy  of  our  very  best  efforts.  This  can  be  done  only  by 
giving  special  attention  to  the  children  and  the  young  peo- 
ple. The  school  and  the  church  must  be  planted  side  by 
side,  the  teacher  and  the  minister  of  the  gospel  must  fully 
co-operate,  and  those  living  under  more  favorable  circum- 
stances must  lend  a  helping  hand. 

This  "Land  of  the  Sky"  has  many  of  God's  best  material 
gifts  to  man,  and  they  are  waiting  development ;  the  uned- 
ucated multitudes  stand  pleading  for  opportunities  that  will 
enable  them  to  become  progressive  and  useful  citizens. 

Great  possibilities  and  rare  opportunities  lie  before  us, 
let  us  seize  them  now. 

R.  P.  SMITH. 

Asheville,  N.  C.,  January  2,  1905. 


19 


Extracts  from  Private  Letters 


The  following  extracts,  from  letters  written  by  teachers  in  our 
Mission  Sabbath  Schools,  were  never  intended  for  the  public  eye: 

(a)  "Two  very  urgent  requests  have  been  sent  to  me  for  a 

minister  to  come  and  preach  at  .     Could  we  not  by 

some  means  raise  money  enough  to  have  an  arbor  built  and  seated 
with  plank,  which  could  be  used  afterwards  in  building  a  school 
house?" 

(b)  "I  am  compelled  to  combine  a  part  of  day  school  work 
with  my  Sunday  school  work.  I  am  in  great  need  of  a  reading- 
chart,  since  so  few  of  my  children  are  able  to  read,  and  they  have 
no  books." 

(c)  "I  had  to  move  my  school  out  of  doors  as  the  room  is  too 
small  to  accommodate  the  crowd.  How  am  I  to  get  along  without 
a  house  and  without  help  with  this  school  of  young  children,  young 
boys  and  girls,  middle  aged  men  and  women?  They  know  nothing 
of  order  only  under  my  eye.  If  possible  do  please  put  a  gentleman 
teacher  in  this  field  for  the  need  is  urgent." 

(d)  "In  my  Sunday  school  40  children  have  memorized  the 
Child's  Catechism,  and  21  have  memorized  the  Shorter  Catechism 
this  year." 

(e)  "Some  children  had  to  go  home  without  their  lessons  be- 
ing heard,  so  many  I  did  not  have  time  to  reach  them.  They  begged 
me  to  let  them  stay  until  dark  if  I  could  hear  them  recite." 

(f)  "In  a  class  of  16  young  people  only  three  can  read.  Do 
please  help  me  with  these  poor  people  who  are  so  anxious  to  learn." 

R.  P.  S. 


20 


A    CORN    MILL   IN    A  COVE 


A  whole  plant  of  the  cheapest  construction  costs  from 
$ro  to  $20  and  will  grind  from  three  to  five  bushels  of 
corn  in  a  day. 


1 


